Midrash su I Re 13:1

R. Yudan opened the discussion with the verse: The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver; the heart of the wicked is little worth (Prov. 10:20). The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver alludes to the prophet Iddo. The heart of the wicked is little worth refers to Jeroboam. Scripture states: And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Beth-el, and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to offer; and he cried against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said: “O altar, altar” (I Kings 13:1–2). Why is the word altar repeated twice? R. Abba the son of Kahana said: Because there were two altars, one at Bethel and one at Dan. Why did he say: Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that offer upon thee, and man’s bones shall be burnt upon thee? (ibid., v. 2)? It does not say in the verse “the bones of Jeroboam” but rather man’s bones. You learn from this that he (the prophet) was respectful toward the government. And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Beth-el, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying: “Lay hold on him.” And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back (ibid., vv. 4–5).

When the Holy One, blessed be He, desires it, even one’s hands are not under man’s control. When did this occur? At the time that the prophet Iddo visited Jeroboam the son of Nabat: And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Beth-El; and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to offer. And he cried against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said: “O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord: Behold, a son shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that offer upon thee, and men’s bones shall they burn upon thee” (I Kings 13:1–2). Why is the word altar repeated in this verse? Because of the two altars, one at Beth-El and the other at Dan, at which golden calves were erected. And men’s bones is stated rather than “Jeroboam’s bones,” to emphasize that the prophet was respectful toward the government. Jeroboam said immediately: “This man is a fool.” Whereupon the prophet replied: This is the sign … Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out (ibid., v. 3). And the altar was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given (ibid., v. 5)